Showing results by author "Hollywood 360" in All Categories

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's detective genius, Sherlock Holmes, first came to NBC radio in 1930, starring Richard Gordon. By 1939, Basil Rathbone took over as Holmes, with Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson. The duo were simultaneously starring in a very popular series of Sherlock Holmes' movies for the Fox and Universal studios.

The Black Museum was a weekly radio crime drama produced for the BBC in 1951 and based on real-life cases from the files of Scotland Yard. Orson Welles, who was living in London at the time, was both host and narrator for these dramatized stories based on Scotland Yard's Black Museum, which housed its collection of murder weapons and various ordinary objects once associated with historical crime cases.

My Favorite Husband hit the CBS Radio airwaves in 1948, starring Lucille Ball and Richard Denningas Liz and George Cugat - who later became Liz and George Cooper when confusion with bandleader Xavier Cugat prompted a name change. Set in the fictitious town of Sheridan Falls, the show follows the happily married couple, residents of 321 Bundy Drive, through mischief and various predicaments, from faked illnesses to trouble with exes.

This collection contains 13 of the greatest science fiction shows ever broadcast during the golden age of radio - including two episodes each of Dimension X, CBS Radio Workshop, and X Minus One, plus three episodes of Suspense and Escape. You'll be entertained by stories from such master science fiction writers as H. G. Wells, Aldous Huxley, Graham Doar, Mary Shelley, H. L. Gold, and George Steward.

First heard on network radio in 1948, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar chronicled the adventures of freelance insurance investigator Johnny Dollar, "the man with the action-packed expense account". For 15 years, it was one of the most popular detective shows on the air, lasting until the final days of network radio drama in 1962. Each story started with a phone call from an insurance executive calling on Johnny Dollar to investigate an unusual claim.

William Conrad was a big part of the golden-age of radio. Not only did he star as US Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke (five episodes in this collection), but he appeared on hundreds of radio shows during the 1940s and 50s. Here’s sixteen radio broadcasts that either star William Conrad or have him in the supporting cast. You won’t have any problem identifying his deep baritone voice!

Made as a prequel to the hit film The Third Man, this radio show was created to follow the adventures of the popular character Harry Lime, played here and in the movie by Orson Welles. The 1949 film The Third Man won an Academy Award and was an international success, called "magic" by Roger Ebert and "one of the finest films ever made" by The New York Times.

A thrilling collection of episodes from the classic radio show Suspense.

Conceived as a potential radio vehicle for Alfred Hitchcock to direct, Suspense was a radio series of epic proportion. It aired on CBS from 1942 to 1962 and is considered by many to be the best mystery series of the golden age. Often referred to as "Radio's Outstanding Theater of Thrills," the show focused on suspenseful thrillers starring the biggest names in Hollywood.

This collection contains 12 amazing Sherlock Holmes adventures, starring Tom Conway and Nigel Bruce.

Although "Ol' Blue Eyes" would conquer records, film, and television, it was radio that first made Frank Sinatra a star. Spanning the years 1943 to 1954, this collection showcases Sinatra from such shows as Suspense, The Frank Sinatra Show, The Jack Benny Program, The Burns and Allen Show, and more. Included is the final episode of Sinatra's action/detective series, Rocky Fortune, a low-budget radio series that he decided not to continue after winning his Academy Award.

Here are 12 adventure-packed episodes of the radio drama Rocky Fortune. This 1953 radio adventure series stars Frank Sinatra as Rocco Fortunato, aka Rocky Fortune, a footloose and fancy-free young man of several talents. In constant need of employment, Rocky accepts odd jobs from the Gridley Employment Agency - jobs that typically lead him into situations where he tracks down criminals and ends up rescuing people in trouble - especially women. The job done, Rocky ultimately needs to find more work.

The Cinnamon Bear is arguably the best holiday series ever developed for radio. First heard in1937, this wonderful Christmas fantasy adventure was created and written by Glanville Heisch (with the help of his wife, Elisabeth) for children of all ages. It all starts with twins Judy and Jimmy Barton just before Christmas. Someone - or something - has taken the "Silver Star" from the top of their Christmas tree. The very Irish teddy bear, Paddy O'Cinnamon, comes to their rescue and tells them that the Crazy Quilt Dragon has taken the star to Maybeland.

Ozzie Nelson was Red Skelton's bandleader on the popular radio series The Red Skelton Show. Ozzie's wife, Harriet Hilliard, was Skelton's singer. When Skelton was drafted in March 1944, Ozzie was prompted to create his own family sitcom radio series. The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet launched on CBS radio on October 8, 1944 and made a midseason switch to NBC in 1949. It starred Ozzie as the head of the Nelson household, which included his wife, Harriet, and their two boys, David and Ricky.

Here are 12 episodes from the greatest Western shows ever broadcast during the golden age of radio! You'll hear William Conrad as Marshal Matt Dillon in Gunsmoke; John Dehner as the man called Paladin in Have Gun - Will Travel; Alan Ladd in a Western tale well calculated to keep you in suspense; John Wayne, Henry Fonda, and Gregory Peck reprising their film roles in Fort Apache, Destry Rides Again, and Yellow Sky; plus other great Western radio episodes, including four episodes of the high-adventure series Escape.

This collection contains 12 of the greatest Christmas radio shows ever broadcast during the golden age of radio!

This collection contains 12 of the greatest detective shows ever broadcast during the golden age of radio. You'll hear Sydney Greenstreet as Nero Wolfe, Howard Duff as Sam Spade, Tom Conway and Nigel Bruceas Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson, Dick Powell as Richard Diamond, Edmond O'Brien as Johnny Dollar, and Les Tremayne as Nick Charles, a.k.a. "The Thin Man" - plus many more gumshoes, including Boston Blackie, Philip Marlowe, The Fat Man, and others.

This collection contains twelve of the greatest comedy shows ever broadcast during the golden age of radio. You'll hear Ozzie and Harriet Nelson in The Adventures of Ozzie & Harriet, Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll as Amos 'n' Andy, Robert Young in Father Knows Best, Jim and Marian Jordan as Fibber McGee and Molly, William Bendix as Chester A. Riley in The Life of Riley, Lucille Ball in My Favorite Husband, and more.

First heard on network radio in 1948, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar chronicled the adventures of freelance insurance investigator Johnny Dollar, "the man with the action-packed expense account". For 14 years, it was one of the most popular detective shows on the air, lasting until the final days of network radio drama in 1962. Each story started with a phone call from an insurance executive calling on Johnny Dollar to investigate an unusual claim.

Here are 12 episodes from the greatest detective shows ever broadcast during the golden age of radio, with the legendary stars that made them great. You'll hear Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Doctor Watson, Sydney Greenstreet as Nero Wolfe, Howard Duff as Sam Spade, Chester Morris as Boston Blackie, Dick Powell as Richard Diamond, and Jack Webb as Dragnet's Sergeant Joe Friday, plus more gumshoes like Philip Marlowe, Bulldog Drummond, Michael Shayne, and Johnny Dollar.

Set in Los Angeles and starring Jack Webb as the stoic Sergeant Joe Friday, Dragnet is perhaps the most famous and influential police procedural drama of all time, having made extensive runs on both radio and television. Webb, also the producer of the show, took the series to new highs, insisting on realism in every facet of the program. The dialogue was clipped and sparse, taking its cue from hard-boiled crime fiction à la Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.